FlyORH: Vote for Worcester in JetBlue Contest

Fans and fliers of JetBlue weigh in on the service to Florida thus far.

I received many insightful comments through social media after I wrote this column last week. Here is one I found really good and I wanted to share.

We recently flew from Boston to Orlando and I was told by a JetBlue agent every flight goes out 100% full to Orlando. There were a number of standbys that if were given the opportunity to be shuttled to Worcester, would be happy to go.

Does Worcester have any restaurants or newsstands? This is important and if they don't they need some quickly put up kiosks for the busy summer months to offer food, magazines, etc. Then push this amenity.

Families would most likely be more than happy to be in less confusion and I assume the seating is 2x2 which would be a seller to my husband and I. Do an "I hate the Middle Seat" campaign. Or "Want to avoid the Dreaded Middle Seat". When possible we fly first class to avoid it.

At the same time, however, I get comments about how expensive the tickets were trying to book one week before Spring Break. Let me take a moment to explain (for the 1,000th time) how Worcester only has 100 tickets per day to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. If you want to travel during high traffic weeks, you need to book early since these tickets will sell very fast. Other then these high volume weeks when flights sell out fast, prices out of Worcester are more then extremely competitive. I truly believe this is understood by the majority.

The one that really amazes me is how people ask, “Why does JetBlue only fly to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale?” Don’t get me wrong, it is good to ask for service to a location that you desire. It shows JetBlue that we want to expand. I think it is pretty simple and a good business plan for JetBlue to start with leisure popular destinations like Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, build these routes up, and then eventually add locations. Do people really expect JetBlue to come to an airport with no commercial service and a track history that is less then stellar with 20+ destinations within 4 months of the first flight?

We are damn lucky that JetBlue made Worcester a JetBlue city and we should support these two routes. I am sure that more destinations will follow.

Ways to show support

Not only is JetBlue a great airline, but they really believe in being a good corporate citizen. Check out some of these sites:

Today I would like to talk about their 7th annual “One Thing That’s Green Campaign“ and how we can win it. JetBue asks their customers where they would like to see more greenery and vibrant green spaces in their neighborhoods. Why not Worcester?

Throughout the month of April, you can vote for Worcester on their Facebook page after liking the page. As of April 12th, Worcester was in first place!! Please take a moment to go to the Facebook page, Like the page, and vote early and often for Worcester on the Route Map. The final results will be posted on May 1. Let’s win this contest!

Bill Randell is the President of Advantage Benefits, an insurance brokerage house specializing in employee benefits with an emphasis on health insurance, based in Worcester since 1992. He can be contacted at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter (@FlyORH).

Related Slideshow: 10 Historically Bold Moves Made By Big Companies

10. RJ Reynolds

The Smokeless Cigarette

LOSE

In 1988, long after the American public wised up to the dangers of cigarettes, RJ Reynolds launched the Premier cigarette. They called it a “smokeless nicotine delivery mechanism that looks and feels like a premium cigarette.” It didn't. Smokers said it tasted like charcoal, and drug users quickly figured out how to use it to smoke crack. It has been reported that RJ Reynolds lost $1 billion on the product.

9. McDonald's

The McLobster

LOSE

The alleged lobster roll – no one's sure there was ever any real lobster in there – from McDonald's was about as successful in New England as their McCrabcake was in Maryland. It looked bad, tasted worse, and was shunned by even the most die hard Golden Arches fans. (Unlike the McRib, which continues to have a bewildering trance on McDonald's fans.) The sandwich is still available in some Canadian franchises and occasionally in Maine.

8. Yahoo

Bans Employees From Working at Home

WIN

When Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer became the company’s chief executive, she instated Google-like food options, offered new benefits, and insisted full-time employees work in the office. The tech world was shocked, and Mayer admitted the mandate could diminish productivity. However, she saw an up side.

"People are more productive when they’re alone,” she said at the time. “But they’re more collaborative and innovative when they’re together. Some of the best ideas come from pulling two different ideas together.”

Now that Yahoo's future looks far brighter than when Mayer started, it seems she was onto something all along.

7. Sony

Backs Betamax

LOSE

Sony was right to support Blu-ray over the failed HD DVD, probably because they learned their lesson with the Betamax experience in 1975. That's the year the Betamax video recorder hit stores shelves. A year later, the VHS format hit the market. Sony never licensed its Betamax technology, and the two formats were not compatible. Consumers had to choose between the two. You know how that story ended.

6. Tesla

Enters the Auto Market with High End Electric

WIN

Whoever killed the electric car must not have been looking when the first Tesla Model S cars were sold at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California. The Silicon Valley electric carmaker took the idea of eco-friendly vehicles and turned it into a blueprint for lead-footed success. Tesla's first made-from-scratch car, the electric Model S sedan, received a rare near-perfect score from Consumer Reports. At the time, Bill Ford, the executive chairman of Ford Motor Co., said "My hat's off to them." Tesla has since transformed America's image of electric cars.

5. Apple

Fires Steve Jobs

LOSE

One of the world's most famous college drop outs, Steve Jobs founded Apple, helped it grow into a billion-plus public company, and launched the Macintosh. He was also ousted by Apple's Board of Directors in 1985. The popular take is that the board was stupid to fire Jobs as the leader of the Mac division, because Apple would have more quickly become the company it is today. A new take on the decision posits that the then-30-year old Jobs was disruptive and incompetent in that role. After 12 years away from the company he founded, he learned the skills and discipline required for Apple's rebirth.

4. Microsoft

Takes on Sony + Nintendo in the Console Gaming Market

WIN

Microsoft has one person to thank for its console gaming success, and that person isn't even real. Master Chief is the hero of the insanely popular "Halo" franchise, which was first released was a launch title with the original Xbox. The game revolutionized First Person Shooters on consoles, and sold millions of consoles along the way. At the time, Microsoft was known as primarily a software company. They may have took a bath on those early consoles, but they now join Sony as one of the two major console makers left standing. (Sorry, Nintendo. The Wii U is going to sink you.)

3. Netflix

Changes Pricing Plan

LOSE

Netflix is back on top now, but it almost went under in 2011 when it mishandled its pricing changes and attempted to slice off it DVD business under the name Qwikster. As they did with the New Coke launch, customers responded with immediate anger, leading Netflix CEO Reed Hastings to apologize. The company reverted to its $7.99 streaming plan and has never looked back.

2. Ford

Opts out of Government Loans

WIN

After Detroit’s automakers went to Washington in 2008 asking for emergency loans to keep their enterprises afloat, the big bus oval was the only one to opt out of the bailout. Ford decided to mortgage all of its assets to raise operating funds instead. Taxpayers eventually spent $80 billion to rescue General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Corp. Ford focused on efficiency and increasing sales without using government bailout money - thus avoiding the federal tinkering that Chrysler and GM had to accept as a part of their deals. The company has since kept pace with GM, the country's largest automaker.

1. Coke

New Coke

LOSE

Perhaps the most famous brand misstep since Ford's Edsel, New Coke is the Titanic of corporate miscalculation. In the 1970s and early 80s, the soft drink giant faced increased competition from Pepsi and other products. To stay on top, Coke executives stopped production of the classic formula and introduced New Coke with tremendous fanfare. The public's responded with immediate outrage. Coca-Cola re-launched its original formula – called Coc-Cola Classic – almost immediately. Today, unopened cans of New Coke go for hundreds on eBay.